Applies To:

BIG-IP GTM

Overview: Integrating GTM with other BIG-IP systems on a network

You can add BIG-IP
Global Traffic Manager
(GTM) systems to a network in which BIG-IP
Local Traffic Manager
(LTM) systems and BIG-IP Link Controller systems are already present. This expands your
load balancing and traffic management capabilities beyond the local area network. For
this implementation to be successful, you must authorize communications between the
systems.

Note: The GTM systems in a GTM synchronization group, and theLTM and Link Controller systems that are configured to
communicate with the systems in the GTM synchronization group must have TCP port 4353
open through the firewall between the systems. The BIG-IP systems connect and
communicate through this port.

About iQuery and communications between BIG-IP systems

The gtmd agent on BIG-IP
Global Traffic Manager
(GTM) uses the iQuery protocol
to communicate with the local big3d agent, and the big3d
agents installed on other BIG-IP systems. The gtmd agent monitors both the
availability of the BIG-IP systems, and the integrity of the network paths between the systems
that host a domain and the local DNS servers that attempt to connect to that domain.

Communications between big3d and gtmd agents using iQuery

Task summary

To authorize communications between BIG-IP systems, perform the following
tasks on the BIG-IP GTM system that you are adding to the network.

Defining a data center

On BIG-IP GTM, create a data center to contain the servers that reside on a subnet
of your network.

From the Product list, select BIG-IP System
(Single).
The server type determines the metrics that the system can collect from the
server.

In the Address List area, add the IP addresses of the server.
You can add more than one IP address, depending on how the server interacts
with the rest of your network.

Important: You must use a self IP
address for a BIG-IP system; you cannot use the management IP
address.

From the Data Center list, select the data center where
the server resides.

In the Health Monitors area, assign the bigip monitor to
the server by moving it from the Available list to the
Selected list.

From the Virtual Server Discovery list, select how you
want virtual servers to be added to the system.

Option

Description

Disabled

The system does not use the discovery feature to automatically add
virtual servers. This is the default value. Use this option for a
standalone BIG-IP GTM or for a BIG-IP GTM/LTM combo system when you plan
to manually add virtual servers to the system, or if your network
utilizes multiple route domains.

Enabled

The system uses the discovery feature to automatically add virtual
servers. Use this option for a BIG-IP GTM/LTM combo system when you want
BIG-IP GTM to discover BIG-IP LTM virtual servers.

Enabled (No Delete)

The system uses the discovery feature to automatically add virtual
servers and does not delete any virtual servers that already exist. Use
this option for a BIG-IP GTM/LTM combo system when you want BIG-IP GTM
to discover BIG-IP LTM virtual servers.

From the Link Discovery list, select how you want links
to be added to the system.

Option

Description

Disabled

The system does not use the discovery feature to automatically add
links. This is the default value. Use this option for a standalone
BIG-IP GTM or for a BIG-IP GTM/LTM combo system when you plan to
manually add links to the system.

Enabled

The system uses the discovery feature to automatically add links.
Use this option for a BIG-IP GTM/LTM combo system when you want BIG-IP
GTM to discover links.

Enabled (No Delete)

The system uses the discovery feature to automatically add links and
does not delete any links that already exist. Use this option for a
BIG-IP GTM/LTM combo system when you want BIG-IP GTM to discover links.

Click Create.
The Server List screen opens displaying the new server in the
list.

From the Product list, select either BIG-IP
System (Single) or BIG-IP System
(Redundant).
The server type determines the metrics that the system can collect from the
server.

In the Address List area, add the IP addresses of the server.
You can add more than one IP address, depending on how the server interacts
with the rest of your network.

Important: You must use a self IP
address for a BIG-IP system; you cannot use the management IP
address.

From the Data Center list, select the data center where
the server resides.

In the Health Monitors area, assign the bigip monitor to
the server by moving it from the Available list to the
Selected list.

From the Virtual Server Discovery list, select how you
want virtual servers to be added to the system.

Option

Description

Disabled

The system does not use the discovery feature to automatically add
virtual servers. This is the default value. Use this option for a
standalone BIG-IP GTM or for a BIG-IP GTM/LTM combo system when you plan
to manually add virtual servers to the system, or if your network
utilizes multiple route domains.

Enabled

The system uses the discovery feature to automatically add virtual
servers. Use this option for a BIG-IP GTM/LTM combo system when you want
BIG-IP GTM to discover BIG-IP LTM virtual servers.

Enabled (No Delete)

The system uses the discovery feature to automatically add virtual
servers and does not delete any virtual servers that already exist. Use
this option for a BIG-IP GTM/LTM combo system when you want BIG-IP GTM
to discover BIG-IP LTM virtual servers.

From the Link Discovery list, select how you want links
to be added to the system.

Option

Description

Disabled

The system does not use the discovery feature to automatically add
links. This is the default value. Use this option for a standalone
BIG-IP GTM or for a BIG-IP GTM/LTM combo system when you plan to
manually add links to the system.

Enabled

The system uses the discovery feature to automatically add links.
Use this option for a BIG-IP GTM/LTM combo system when you want BIG-IP
GTM to discover links.

Enabled (No Delete)

The system uses the discovery feature to automatically add links and
does not delete any links that already exist. Use this option for a
BIG-IP GTM/LTM combo system when you want BIG-IP GTM to discover links.

Click Create.
The Server List screen opens displaying the new server in the
list.

Running the big3d_install script

Determine the self IP addresses of the BIG-IP systems that you want
to upgrade with the latest big3d agent.

Ensure that port 22 is
open.

Run the big3d_install script on the BIG-IP GTM system you are adding
to your network to upgrade the big3d agents on the other BIG-IP systems on
your network and instruct these systems to authenticate with the other BIG-IP systems through the
exchange of SSL certificates. For additional information about running the script, see SOL8195 on
AskF5.com (www.askf5.com).

Note: You must perform this task from
the command-line interface.

Important: All target BIG-IP systems must be running the same or an older version of
BIG-IP software.

Log in as root to the BIG-IP GTM system you are adding to your
network .

Run this command to access tmsh.tmsh

Run this command to run the big3d_install script: run gtm big3d_install <IP_addresses_of_target
BIG-IP_systems>
The script instructs the BIG-IP GTM system to connect to each specified BIG-IP.

If prompted, enter the root password for each system.

The SSL certificates are exchanged, authorizing communications between the systems. The
big3d agent on each system is upgraded to the same version as is installed on
the BIG-IP GTM system from which you ran the script.

Implementation result

You now have an implementation in which the BIG-IP systems can communicate with each
other. BIG-IP GTM can now use the other BIG-IP systems when load balancing DNS requests,
and can acquire statistics and status information for the virtual servers these systems
manage.